Medical instruments, devices and procedures are designed to save and improve the quality of life. When inappropriate surgeries or medical procedures are performed, however, or surgeries or procedures are performed on the wrong patient, at the wrong site, with the wrong medical instrument or working from improper information, a medical provider fails to furnish the patient with appropriate care. And, in the most unfortunate cases, injury or death may result.
Hundreds of injuries and deaths are caused each year by preventable errors and omissions, which errors may relate to “wrong-patient,” “wrong-side,” “wrong-site,” “wrong-procedure,” etc. events in the practice of medicine and surgery. Many of these incidents are caused by the performance of inappropriate medical procedures or the use of unsuitable medical instruments. For example, surgeries have been performed on the wrong patient or the wrong side of a patient; improper tests have been administered and improper examinations undertaken; x-rays have been taken of the wrong patient; procedures performed on the wrong joints; intravenous or inter-arterial lines have been placed in the right patient in the wrong location or site, etc.
Many electronic and other devices have been designed to ensure the safety of patients and reduce the risk of human error during medical procedures, but the potential for human error remains in many aspects of the provision of medical services. Moreover, a need exists for a device which provides a reminder or prompt contemporaneously or shortly before a medical procedure is undertaken. Also, a device is needed which alerts a surgeon or physician to patient and procedure information without the need for the surgeon or physician to rely heavily upon support personnel such as nurses, scrub technicians, or anesthesia personnel.
Medical instruments and devices are used in a variety of environments including operating rooms, hospital rooms, out-patient facilities and nursing homes. Errors and omissions may occur due to inattention, distractions from medical personnel, inadequate lighting, noise levels, and insufficient communication, for example, and from the design of medical instruments, the manner in which they are used or the procedures performed with them. Mistakes made in treatment of the wrong patient or site, for example, and implementation of the wrong medical procedures or instruments, not only hamper effective patient treatment and diagnosis, but in some cases can lead to injury or death.
The use of containers for medical instruments is well known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,641,065 (Owens) claims a medical instrument container for soaking, transport and storage of surgical instruments. U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,657 (Gnau) discloses a container for disposing of hazardous medical waste. U.S. Pat. No. 5,494,186 (Marsh) discloses a wall-mounted medical waste disposal container. Medical “reminder” devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,346 (Weiner), U.S. Pat. No. 6,441,722 (Weiner) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,449,218 (Lluch).
However, there exists a continuing need for containers and devices which enhance or ensure the health and safety of patients in hospitals, operating rooms, out-patient facilities, nursing homes, etc., and assist medical providers such as physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, and their respective staffs and support personnel, in providing optimal medical services.